Chapter 402: The First Under the Guardian Deity

At this moment, the night sky was engulfed by a sea of flames, completely dyed in a fiery crimson hue.

The astonishingly high temperatures ran rampant, making the night breeze in Tianfeng City feel scorching hot.

Countless Professionals who were observing this area, or even rushing over, either sensed this phenomenon or witnessed it with their own eyes. Their expressions abruptly changed.

It couldn’t be helped.

“Is that the 59th-ranked sequence, 【Scorched Inferno】?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me?”

“Rank 59 can only be used on the ground, right? How can it be cast in the air?”

Many “knowledgeable” Professionals in the industry exclaimed in disbelief, finding it utterly incredible.

Not to mention them, even Su Ming, who was swallowed by the flames and enduring the scorching heat, was shocked.

Of course, what shocked him wasn’t the fact that 【Scorched Inferno】 could be cast in the air.

Although 【Scorched Inferno】 was a Spirit Art meant to be cast on the ground—transforming Spirit Power into flames, turning the earth into a scorched plain, and erupting flames from the underground to incinerate everything—it shouldn’t, in theory, be usable in the air. However, Su Ming had previously seen Tong Xinyao use a technique called Spell Restructuring to slightly alter the structure of the Spirit Art she was using.

If even Tong Xinyao could do it, Qin Yue, a Seven-Star Sorcerer of the second tier, couldn’t possibly be incapable of it.

So, while Su Ming was surprised that Qin Yue could restructure the spell to allow 【Scorched Inferno】, originally ground-only, to be cast in the air, he wasn’t truly astonished.

Instead, it was the power of 【Scorched Inferno】 that genuinely stunned him.

The sheer force that turned the entire sky above the redevelopment area into a sea of flames, spreading scorching heat across almost all of Tianfeng City, already carried the essence of an Advanced Spirit Art.

Although 【Scorched Inferno】 was the 59th-ranked Spirit Art in the sequence, only two ranks away from the lowest-ranked Advanced Spirit Art (ranks 61-90), and was among the top area-of-effect ultimate moves among Intermediate Spirit Arts, it was ultimately still an Intermediate Spirit Art. It fell far short of the earth-shattering, nuclear-level deterrence of Advanced Spirit Arts.

Yet, Old Qin, while still in the 【Dawn Star Orbit】 state—unable to materialize fully or concentrate on casting Spirit Arts, let alone mobilize Spirit Power—casually unleashed this spell with such overwhelming power. If not for the absence of the surging Spirit Power characteristic of Vision Mark activation, Su Ming would have almost suspected that Old Qin had gone all out, using his Awakening ability to make his Spirit Art so swift, fierce, and powerful.

If not for the significant boost in defense, endurance, and resistance to damage after his Demonization, Su Ming would likely have been reduced to charcoal in no time, engulfed by such a sea of flames.

However, blasted by 【Scorched Inferno】, Su Ming had no choice but to halt his assault, unable to continue attacking the starry sky.

Old Qin immediately gathered the starlight together, resuming his human form. Though his wrinkled face was somewhat pale, as if he had expended a considerable amount of Spirit Power, he showed no signs of defeat.”What a lad, you almost had me.”

Old Qin seemed somewhat surprised and taken aback.

This made him realize that if he continued to fight so leisurely, there was indeed a possibility of being overturned.

Su Ming ultimately possessed the strength to threaten a Seven-Star Professional.

The longer the battle dragged on without a decisive outcome, the more likely he’d be turned around.

Especially since Su Ming was a Dual Professional, wielding two types of power, his endurance far surpassed that of a single-professional.

If he exhausted his magic power, he still had Spirit Power.

If he exhausted his Spirit Power, he still had magic power.

By alternating between them, he might even buy enough time to recover a portion of the depleted energy and continue fighting.

In contrast, even though he had mastered the Dawn Star Orbit—a power capable of redefining a Sorcerer’s role—he still only had limited Spirit Power to expend, and using the Dawn Star Orbit itself consumed a massive amount of Spirit Power.

In other words, if the fight dragged on, he would surely lose.

By then, even if he wanted to continue persuading and recruiting Su Ming, he would no longer have the confidence.

Thinking this, Old Qin quickly made a decision.

“You truly are strong.”

Old Qin first acknowledged this.

“At eighteen years old, to possess such strength—I dare say no one else in the world could achieve the same.”

Not just in this era, but throughout all of human history, no one had ever reached such a level of power at the age of eighteen.

After all, before Su Ming, the world record for the fastest to become an Upper-Rank Professional was set at twenty-three.

Becoming an Upper-Rank Professional at twenty-three was already the fastest historical record for a Breakthrough to that rank.

And even the one who set that record only became a Four-Star Professional at twenty-three.

Su Ming, at just eighteen, was already capable of threatening a Seven-Star Professional—the pinnacle of humanity—and even among Seven-Star Professionals, he could rival those in the second tier.

Such an achievement deserved nothing but praise.

“As a sign of respect, this old man will unleash one more Spirit Art.”

Old Qin’s voice echoed through the night sky.

“This is a special, non-standard Spell Formula I created after years of effort, drawing upon the strengths of multiple Spirit Arts.”

“Its name is—Soul Lock.”

“If you withstand this Spirit Art, today’s victory is yours.”

With those words, Old Qin slowly raised his hand.

Above it, a ring-shaped array materialized.

Though there was only one ring, it was strikingly conspicuous.

Not only was it an eerie black, but it also fluctuated in size, growing larger and smaller intermittently, while a chilling spiritual presence spread out in all directions.

Watching this, Su Ming—who was using his wings to shield himself from the scorching flames attacking from all directions—also felt a tremor of fear.

It was an instinctive dread, or rather… a fear rooted in the Soul.

Struggling, Su Ming lifted his head and fixed his gaze tightly on the black ring array in Old Qin’s direction.

Not only Su Ming, but even Old Ling and Qin Qing, observing from the rooftop of a distant building, reacted similarly.

The difference was, one of them was stunned, while the other actually burst out cursing.”You old scoundrel! To use [Soul Lock] against a junior—have you no shame at all?”

Old Qin was cursing vehemently.

Qin Qing stood frozen between shock and panic.

“Why would Ancestor use [Soul Lock]?”

While others might not understand, Qin Qing knew all too well.

[Soul Lock]—this deceptively simple Spell Formula—was Qin Yue’s signature technique. Though classified as an off-sequence Spirit Art, diverging from orthodox spiritual principles in structure and execution difficulty, its unique effects had made it Qin Yue’s renowned specialty.

Typically, off-sequence Spirit Arts suffered from instability and chaotic nature—notoriously hard to learn, slow to master, and impractical due to cumbersome casting speeds. Yet, like Su Ming’s acquired [Demon Binding] technique, certain off-sequence arts possessed remarkably valuable and unexpectedly potent applications.

[Demon Binding] served to enslave Phantom Demons. While useless in direct combat, it could subjugate thousands of Phantom Demons—even an entire Phantom Demon Legion—given sufficient Spirit Power, making it exceptionally powerful. Without this technique, Su Ming would never have obtained Hai’er, nor forged their mysterious spiritual bond to become fate-linked companions.

Similarly, Qin Yue’s [Soul Lock] was an extraordinarily rare and potent Spirit Art with direct combat applications. It specialized in attacking minds—or more precisely, Souls. As the name implied, even at its weakest, it could shackle an opponent’s Soul, inducing dazed paralysis or outright unconsciousness.

But its true terror lay elsewhere: [Soul Lock] was unavoidable. An undetectable, formless assault on the Soul and psyche, it guaranteed a hit. No Sorcerer, however keen their Spirit Sense, nor Hunter like Crow of the Ten Demons with mutated perception, could detect its approach. Combined with blinding speed and target-locking properties, it relentlessly pursued foes through their spiritual aura—Qin Yue had never missed with it.

Yet as a self-developed off-sequence Spirit Art, it shared the flaws of its kind: instability and slow casting. The former demanded absolute concentration—any lapse would waste Spirit Power and risk backlash. The latter proved deadlier—its sluggish activation left the caster vulnerable to repeated enemy strikes. Such weaknesses should render it impractical for combat.

But for Qin Yue, they posed no obstacle.As the creator of this spell formula, he had long since mastered it thoroughly, capable of successfully casting it even under the most unstable conditions.

As for the issue of slow casting speed—was that even a problem for a sorcerer who could remain in a semi-invincible state and had mastered the Dawn Star Orbit?

Given this, in Qin Yue’s hands, this spell formula was a truly formidable technique for subduing enemies.

Even if the opponent was a Seven-Star Professional, a single hit would leave them disoriented for a while, allowing Qin Yue to attack freely and secure an immediate victory.

Relying on the two great spell formulas, Soul Lock and Dawn Star Orbit, Qin Yue had defeated countless powerful foes, thereby solidifying his status.

In the eyes of the world, beneath the invincible Guardian Deity Ling Xiao, Qin Yue was the undisputed second strongest.

Now, this world’s second-ranked powerhouse was about to unleash his signature move.

This led Qin Qing to only one thought:

“Su Ming is in danger.”

This thought was not unique to Qin Qing. Even Old Ling, who had initially held some confidence in Su Ming and had been watching the battle with keen interest, shared the same concern.

“Hmph!”

Old Ling could no longer stand by and watch. A faint aura began to emanate from his body.

He was preparing to intervene.

However, the subsequent turn of events left everyone utterly astonished.

(End of Chapter)